


The Ice Box

by An_Artifice_Lightly



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Drama, Flashbacks, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Major Character Injury, Peril, Suspense, Torture, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-29
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-11-05 04:03:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11005596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/An_Artifice_Lightly/pseuds/An_Artifice_Lightly
Summary: Post-true ending. Upon returning to Tokyo for Winter Break, Morgana gives Akira a little time alone with his romantic interest. Unfortunately for the cat, he soon has an unexpected run-in with a familiar villain on the streets of Shibuya. And that villain doesn't forget faces.What follows is a story of torture and revenge as the former Phantom Thieves race against the clock to keep Haru safe, uncover the truth, and rescue their feline friend.





	1. A Leverage

**Author's Note:**

> This is not a happy story. You have been warned. There is little to no focus on romance, so if you clicked on this because of the Akira/Makoto tag, I'm sorry. They just happen to be together in this story.

_When he came to, everything was aching. His stomach, his face, his legs... he tried to stand up, and instantly regretted the decision. He fell to the floor, the only sound of the effort coming from a metallic clank behind him. Craning his head, he was able to see that his back leg was chained to the wall. He was also able to see that his back leg was bruised badly._

_He blinked, looking around the unfamiliar room. How did he get here?_

\-----

Akira and Morgana couldn't help but smile as they stepped off the train. It had been so long since they'd come to Tokyo. Now, with everyone on Winter Break, it was the perfect time for the Phantom Thieves to reunite for some much needed rest and relaxation.

"Man, it never changes, does it?" Morgana asked from his place in Akira's bag, the teen standing on the edge of the sidewalk, watching everyone cross the street in Shibuya. So many people, disappearing into the mob of the crossing with every passing second. Akira simply nodded in agreement. "I can't wait to see everyone! Can't believe we have to wait until later tonight."

"We'll make do," Akira said, stretching out a kink in his neck. "What do you say we--" He was interrupted as a familiar buzzing sound came from his pocket. He quickly retrieved it and checked the message he'd received. It was from Makoto.

_> 'Hey! Has your train gotten in yet?'_

**_'Yeah, just arrived.' <_ **

_> 'Great! I was wondering if you wanted to hang out before the get-together tonight.'_

Morgana looked up at Akira, as he was hesitating. Usually the teen was rather quick in his replies! "Well? Don't you wanna see her?"

Akira scratched the back of his head. "Yeah... but I think she means just the two of us..."

Morgana's ears flattened against his head. "Oh." But then they perked up again. "Well, don't deny her on my account! Besides, I've been wanting to walk through the city again! The countryside gets a little boring after a while," he explained, hopping out of Akira's bag and stretching.

"You sure about this?" Akira asked.

Morgana decided to ignore the question. Of course he didn't want to be left alone as soon as they got into Tokyo, but hey! If his best friend needed some private time, so be it! "We're meeting the others at Shibuya Station, right? I'll head over there later and hang out with 'em until you're ready."

"Thanks, Mona," Akira nodded to him with a smile as the black cat trotted away. "You're getting extra fatty tuna tonight."

That was all it took to get Morgana's tummy grumbling. "Ooh! I'm gonna hold you to it!" He called back over his shoulder as he disappeared into the crowd. With that, Akira turned his attention back to his phone.

**_'Sure. It's a date.' <_ **

\-----

Morgana hummed to himself, padding throughout downtown Shibuya. The sounds and smells were just like he remembered... the memories flooding back to him. It had been over a year and a half since he'd come into existence. This place had practically been his entire life. His childhood, in a sense. His ears twitched, picking up the scattered conversations here and there.

"Are you gonna see the new Revengers movie?"

"Aw man, I left my wallet back at home. Could you spot me?"

To be honest... there was something missing without Akira by his side. Sure, there were the few times when Morgana went for a walk to give Akira some privacy -- as he was doing right now -- but for the most part, it was always the two of them. Morgana's whiskers bristled as a sudden wind rushed through him. "Man, it's colder than I thought it'd be. I miss Akira's bag..." Morgana whined to himself. His stomach growled not long after. "He better not have been lying about that fatty tuna. I haven't eaten since breakfast!"

"Damn, I hate Christmas. Not even a single card..."

"I sure hope I get over this cold soon! Ah-choo!"

"The Okumura franchise will have to yield."

The cat perked up at that last statement, his nose twitching as he searched for the owner _. 'That voice...'_ He thought. They were talking about the Okumuras? Piqued by curiosity, he followed the source of the voice down an alleyway, the rooftops surrounding it covered in snow and icicles. Utilizing his skills of phantom thievery, he hid behind a trash can, his head peeking around it to see...

His eyes widened. It was that scumbag, Sugimura. Haru's ex-fiancé. He was flanked by two bodyguards, talking to another seemingly high-level official. "All it will take is getting Haru to fall back into my arms." Morgana felt a chill run up his spine, and not just because of the cold weather. The last time he'd seen this creep, he'd gotten his little cat body kicked against an alley wall. All because of his stupid decision to abandon the Phantom Thieves.

"And what makes you think you can do that, huh?" The official replied with an arrogant tone. Morgana smirked. It seemed Sugimura's place in the world had dropped!

"All I need is the right amount of leverage," he calmly answered. "Perhaps a secret she would hate to admit... such as involvement with the Phantom Thieves of Hearts?" Morgana's eyes widened. He couldn't be serious, could he?

"Huh? Those criminals?"

"Exactly," Sugimura nodded. "I've been digging up some information over the past year, and I'm pleased to say the fruits of my efforts are finally being realized. All I need is your assistance."

 _'This is bad!'_ Morgana thought to himself, taking a hesitant step backward _. 'I'll have to tell Haru about this tonight... but if this involves all the Phantom Thieves, maybe they should know, too...!'_

**_CRACK!!!_ **

Morgana couldn't look up in time to see the icicle above him snapping off the roof. It fell in an instant, landing right on top of the cat's outstretched hind leg! "OW!" He yelped out of instinct, his foot crying out in pain. In shock, he stumbled, and unfortunately, his body crashed right into the trash can he had been hiding behind.

"What the?" The official flinched as the sound of the metal bin falling over echoed through the alley. "A cat?" Sugimura looked over at the culprit, shaken but not scared by the sudden noise. His eyes landed on Morgana, who'd fallen over along with the empty trash receptacle. He cocked his head at the sight, and slowly walked over.

"S-shit!" Morgana swore. He struggled to get up to his feet, but his back leg had been torn by the falling icicle, and left him with a nasty limp. He wouldn't be running any time soon.

Before he knew it, Sugimura had picked him up by the scruff of his neck and looked into his eyes. Sugimura stared forward, silently, for a moment or two... and then he broke into a sadistic grin. "Today's my lucky day. It's a good thing my memory's sharp as a razor's edge." He gestured to the bodyguard nearest to him, who reached into his jacket's pocket without a word and produced a strange syringe. Morgana's blood ran colder than the air at the sight of it.

"Let go of me!" He demanded, writhing and kicking. The bodyguard calmly plunged the syringe into Morgana's side. He hissed in pain and discomfort, his chances of breaking free quickly slipping away.

"You have no need to worry, Ishikawa-san," Sugimura called back to the official behind him. "We now have more than enough leverage against my dear Haru. Everything will proceed as planned."

Morgana's struggles slowed down, the cat soon finding it harder and harder to keep his eyes open. Everything was going fuzzy, and he was so lightheaded. "What... did you do to me... bastard...?"

Sugimura merely grinned at the weakly meowing cat. "It's like I said. I won't forget your faces."

And then, everything went black.

\-----

Akira and Makoto sat inside of the diner, each with a cup of coffee in hand. With it being so close to the holidays, they’d expected it to be a little more crowded than usual. That was not the case. Without feeling any pressure, they caught up on things. Of course, they’d had the chance to talk over the phone… but being together was different. It was personal.

“…I just wish I’d known half the stuff I’ve learned this semester back when we were Phantom Thieves,” Makoto admitted, lowering her voice to a somewhat hushed tone.

Akira shook his head. “You were perfect.”

Makoto raised an eyebrow. “Were? What about now?”

Akira replied without missing a beat. “You’re more perfect.”

“Okay, **you’re** going overboard with the compliments,” Makoto chided, raising her coffee to her lips to hide her smile. “But… they **are** appreciated. Even when what you say is stupid... coming from you, it somehow sounds sweet.” She mused, finishing off her coffee. A small buzz from her phone snapped her out of her thoughts. “Oh wow, it’s already a quarter to six," she said, checking her phone. "We should head over to the station.”

“Yeah,” Akira agreed, taking out his wallet and leaving the money on the counter.

“Everyone’s meeting there, right?” Makoto asked as they headed out of the diner into the cold night. “Bet Morgana’s already getting on Ryuji’s nerves.”

Akira shook his head. “I think he’ll be on his best behavior tonight.”

“Really?” Makoto asked incredulously. “What makes you say that?”

“Just a hunch,” Akira said with a shrug. “He’s been looking forward to this for two months.”

Makoto grinned. “That’s right, how could I forget? Put sushi in his mind and the little guy won’t leave it alone.”

“It was all he could talk about last night.”

“I’d be surprised if it wasn’t!”

“Can you believe he’s trying to use chopsticks?”

Makoto stifled her surprised laughter, trying to conjure the image in her head. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope,” Akira said as they walked into the station. “Made him a special small pair with all those crafting skills I picked up. He’s made some decent progress. Wants to show off tonight.”

“Pfft,” Makoto jeered. “Well, that’s what he is, after all. Our little show-off.”

“Hey!!” The two looked up to see Ryuji waving at them, making a scene as usual. He was standing with a familiar group of people: a sight that brought a small smile to Akira’s lips.

“You idiot!” Ann bopped him over the head. “They’re like two feet away, you don’t need to yell!”

“Ouch! Sorry…”

Looked like everyone was already there, Akira noticed. Everyone except…

“So, any particular reason you guys were fashionably late?” Ryuji prodded. “I thought we were gonna have to catch the next train without you.”

“No need to explain yourselves,” Yusuke butted in. “As we all know, art takes time.”

“This isn’t art, you weirdo Inari,” Futaba glowered. “It’s just sushi.”

“It’s great to see you again, Akira-kun!” Haru greeted with a smile, walking up to him and Makoto. “And… oh! Where’s Mona-chan?”

Akira blinked. “He’s not here?”

“Uh, no…” Ann chimed in. “I mean, I haven’t seen him, at least.”

“I just assumed he’d be coming with you,” Yusuke said, indicating Akira. The rest of the group nodded in agreement.

“That’s strange,” Makoto muttered. “You told him where we were meeting, right?”

“Aw, come on,” Ryuji groaned, tapping a foot against the ground impatiently. “Are we seriously gonna worry about him? The little brat probably just hopped on an earlier train to toy with us.”

“Y-yeah!” Futaba agreed despite her stutter of hesitation. “I bet he’s sitting out in front of the restaurant looking all smug and stuff!”

“You did say he was really looking forward to tonight…” Makoto conceded. Just then, the train pulled into the station.

“Well, this is us,” Ann noted. “What are we gonna do?”

“ **I’m** getting on the train to sushi-town,” Ryuji declared as the doors to the train opened. He nearly sprinted inside. “Anyone else want to join me?” And one by one, they sure enough did.

The whole ride over, Akira simply repeated to himself that Ryuji had to be right.

\-----

Morgana groggily opened his eyes. It felt like they were being weighed down by boulders, and the whole room was spinning. Everything was aching. His stomach, his face, his legs... he tried to stand up, and instantly regretted the decision. He fell to the floor, the only sound of the effort coming from a metallic clank behind him. Craning his head, he was able to see that his back leg was chained to the wall.

He hissed softly as the pain in his hind leg surged through his body. He shook his head. He had to focus right now. Where was he? He looked around, trying to take in his unfamiliar surroundings.

The walls and floor were solid concrete. It was ice cold, and for once, Morgana was thankful for being a cat. Without fur, he couldn’t imagine being in here without his teeth chattering right out of his skull. The ceiling was littered with exposed pipes, several of which appeared to have been frozen over. In one far corner of the room, there was a surveillance camera, but there was no light on at the moment. _‘Guess it’s not recording,’_ he gloomily thought. In the other far corner, a series of stairs leading up to a door. There were no windows. That door was the only means of escape.

“Great. It’s awake.” A chill ran up Morgana’s spine. Sugimura had been outside his field of vision, and now walked in front of him, standing tall and smug. “I must thank you for returning to me after all this time. You’ve arrived at a most opportune moment, and shall be quite the bargaining chip. Assuming my dear Haru cares enough, which I’m sure she will. She’s always cared too deeply for the weak and defenseless. I guess that’s why she thought she could make a difference as a Phantom Thief.” Morgana grit his teeth through every word he spoke. He wanted to lunge forward, to scratch Sugimura’s eyes right out of his skull… but his body wasn’t listening. He couldn’t move his arms or legs.

“Look at me go on and on, and to a stupid cat, no less!” Sugimura continued. “We have work to do. Now, what was it that happened the last time we met? Oh, that’s right. Something like this.” Sugimura reeled his foot back and slammed it into Morgana’s belly, the defenseless cat’s eyes opening wide with shock. It was more than just the wind being knocked out of him; that kick had more than a year’s worth of pent-up rage built behind it. He swore he could feel something rupture inside of him.

Morgana’s body crashed against the wall he was chained to, the feline slumping to the floor on his side, tears welling up in his blue eyes. Sugimura placed his foot on top of his skull, pressing down with more than a little pressure. “That was for ruining my designer pants,” he commented, grinning as Morgana halfheartedly squirmed underneath his boot, both of them fully aware there was no escape. “Pathetic. To think she would care about something like you more than someone like me.”

If he had the strength to fight back, he would. But Morgana could only think about the last time he’d felt this useless… that fateful day, when the rest of the Phantom Thieves came to save him and Haru… and how he could do nothing. “You… bastard…” Morgana growled feebly. Sugimura narrowed his eyes and pressed down harder with his foot, promptly shutting him up. Morgana scrunched his eyes shut in agony. It felt like his entire head was about to crack open like an egg!

“That’s more like it. Don’t forget who’s in charge here,” Sugimura hummed, lifting his foot up and roughly kicking him in the stomach once more, this time to force the cat onto his back. Morgana coughed and groaned weakly, trying to get up, trying to escape, trying to fight back… but his body wouldn’t listen. He truly was helpless. “Oh, don’t worry. We’re just getting started,” the villain cooed, crouching over him and reaching into his jacket’s pocket. With a flourish, he produced a butterfly knife. Before Morgana could react, Sugimura roughly sliced it against the side of the cat’s face, a thin line of blood instantly forming.

Morgana hissed in pain, though he was thankful the cut wasn’t too deep. It left him somewhat optimistic about what was still to come. He could take this. “Shut up,” Sugimura warned, bringing the knife up to the feline’s mouth, “or your tongue will be next.” Morgana glared back at him, as if daring him to. Thankfully, Sugimura didn’t seem to notice. His eyes wandered downward along with his knife, until the politician’s son made a quaint observation.

“Huh. So you haven’t been fixed yet.”

Morgana’s breath hitched, those words sewing terror under his skin. Gone was any hint of optimism. His heartbeat hammered within his chest as he felt the point of the knife trace down his belly… until it was lightly grazing against his unmentionables. _‘Th-this guy’s a lunatic!!’_ He thought, wincing as the blade pressed underneath his feline jewels and lifted them up. He felt like a piece of meat being appraised by a butcher.

“Well, we can **fix** that right here,” Sugimura cackled with a psychotic grin. Morgana was frozen in fear. He couldn’t breathe. The knife pressed harder against his nethers, nicking him a little. A sick pain churned in his gut.

“S-stop,” he mewled out. He couldn’t do anything. He was vulnerable. And entirely at Sugimura’s mercy. It was the absolute worst feeling in the world. “Don’t…”

Sugimura tsked. “That noise really is infuriating,” he grunted, bringing the knife away from Morgana’s crotch, causing the cat to exhale in momentary relief. He instinctually tried to curl up, but the pain in his body and the chain to his leg prevented that. “…But I suppose Haru would never forgive me for doing any permanent damage to her precious pet.”

“Sick bastard, she’ll never forgive you at all,” Morgana spat back with a shaky voice, knowing full well his torturer couldn’t understand his words. Still, Sugimura looked down upon him with disgust.

“However,” he started, looking at his weapon with a morbid curiosity, “that’s not to say _all_ damage is out of the question.” And with that, he quickly slashed through Morgana’s exposed stomach. Unlike the cut to his face, this one went deep. Blood spilled out, matting his fur and staining the basement floor.

“A-augh…!” Morgana couldn’t find the strength to let out a full-blown cry, nor would he have even wanted to, given Sugimura’s obvious disdain for his voice. He tried to reach down with his paws to hold the blood in, but it was a futile effort.

“There, that’s better.” Sugimura’s voice was laced with a toxic satisfaction as he put his knife away, and in its place, took out his phone. “Hopefully she’ll see that I mean business,” he said, taking a few pictures of the bleeding, bruised up cat. With that, he stood up, straightened his suit, and headed toward the stairs. “Enjoy your stay,” he called out with a grin before reaching the door and leaving the mysterious, cold room.

As soon as the door slammed shut, Morgana craned his neck down to lick at his wound. It took nearly all the effort in his body to do so, but soon enough, the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. Tears filled his eyes as the reality of his situation sunk in, the feline trying to mend the cut to his vulnerable underbelly as best as he could in his current state. _‘Dammit…’_ He thought as his eyelids grew heavy, the blood loss taking its toll on him, as well as the effect of whatever drugs had been pumped into him earlier. “S-someone… anyone… I… need help…”

Blood was still pouring out of him when he lost consciousness.

\-----

It was awkward when they arrived at the restaurant and Morgana wasn’t there. It was more awkward when Haru had asked for eight seats.

“I’m sorry,” she had said after being corrected. “I was just going with the number of people we usually have in my head and—“

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Makoto consoled.

“Still don’t see why you thought it, though,” Ryuji blurted out. “I mean, it’s not like he needs a seat or anything. He’s not even human!”

A quick punch from Ann set him silent for the next few minutes.

The food was fast and plentiful. Any past beef between Ryuji and Ann seemed ancient history with the onset of fresh sushi.

“Oh man, this is so effing good!” Ryuji declared as he scarfed down another roll of sushi.

“I know, right?” Ann agreed, quickly going in for another bite. “It’s so tender, it’s like it’s melting in my mouth!”

Akira looked down at his lap, his bag underneath the table… where Morgana was supposed to be. Nothing was adding up here. A hand on top of his own shook him from his reverie.

“You okay?” Makoto asked him. “You haven’t even touched your sashimi.”  Akira looked at the table, then back at her.

“Neither have you,” he noticed, at which Makoto blushed.

“I just… don’t you think it’s a little—“

“Hey! You guys think Haru’s okay?” Futaba nearly shouted with her mouth full of sushi. She gulped it down quickly before continuing. “She’s been in the bathroom for, like, forever.”

“I’ll go check on her,” Makoto sighed, rising from her seat. “Too much fish can do strange things to a person.” Everyone stared at her as she walked away from the table.

“I think your weirdness is rubbing off on her, Inari!” Futaba glared at Yusuke.

“What? What do I have to do with this?”

Makoto opened the door to the women’s restroom, and was surprised to see Haru standing in front of the sink. “Oh, there you are,” she said, walking over to her friend. “We were getting a little worried, you’ve been gone for…” Her voice trailed off as she realized Haru was crying, her eyes wide in shock, a hand over her mouth. Her phone was sitting on the counter next to sink. “Haru?” She asked, rushing to her side and looking down at the phone.

What Makoto saw made her heart drop. It was a message from Sugimura, preceded by an image of Morgana in a cold dark room… his face bruised and battered, and a long gash across his belly. Clearly fresh. Clearly untreated.

The message read:

_> ”Your little furry friend had a small accident. Sure hope it doesn’t get worse. Come over and let’s talk things through.”_


	2. A Waiting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morgana's condition takes a turn for the worse. The Phantom Thieves form a plan of action. Memories try to bring comfort.

Morgana awoke with a sputtering cough. The pain he felt the last time he was awake had increased tenfold. Everything that once was numb now burned with an unforgiving ferocity. “O-ow…” He grunted, his voice raw and ragged. His entire body was shaking; it was then that he realized he could see his own breath. Had it seriously gotten colder in this forsaken room? He pulled his sore hind leg, and hissed as he remembered that it was chained to the wall behind him. He tried to roll onto his side, and more or less flopped over. It was a start; he had more control of his body, so the drugs must’ve been wearing off. Unfortunately, he had flopped over in his own blood.

He’d lost a lot of it. Just looking at it was making him lightheaded and dizzy all over again. “Damn… not good…”  He looked down at his sliced up belly. It was a heinous mix of red and purple, a good part of it scabbed over. It was enough to make him sick to his stomach. He breathed heavily and shook his head. He couldn’t think about how nasty a wound that was at the moment. He needed to focus on escaping.

He craned his neck back to look at his bruised leg. He noticed that a small locked cuff was snapped around his ankle, which was what was keeping him chained to the wall. He could see the lock on the cuff from here. “If I can… hook my claw in there…” He tried to curl his body inward, reaching for his leg with his paws… and had to stop. “G-ghhn!!” The pain in his stomach was too much; curling up only stoked the fire. He looked around the room while he regained his breath, trying to ignore the pain that was pulsing and throbbing through his very core. He hoped he would find something he missed, something he could use to help himself get out of here… but the room was barren. It was just the stairs, the door, and the camera. All out of reach.

“Can’t… give up…” He gasped out. He tried to slam his paw down on the concrete floor in a show of determination, but it only came out as a weak little pat. He needed to at least try using his claw on the lock. He’d just have to bear the unbearable pain. He gritted his teeth, looking back at the lock, his goal… and he quickly reached for it, hoping the sudden act would lessen the pain, like the ripping off of a bandage.

Unfortunately for Morgana, the sudden movement had the adverse effect on his body. He felt the sickening tear in his stomach, and had to flop onto his back once more, crying out in anguish and pain. He didn’t even to look down – though he did, eventually – to know that his wound had reopened. Fresh red blood was now accompanying the dried, darker liquid on the ground and in his fur. “No, no, no!” His vision was already blurring once more, his head growing dizzy, his sense growing faint…

“Why’m I… so… useless…?”

Right before he faded back into unconsciousness, a fleeting memory crossed his waning mind.

\-----

_“I think I’ve almost got it…” Akira muttered. He was at his desk, working on a new piece of equipment for the Phantom Thieves. There had been one blueprint that had enticed him since the moment he had laid eyes on it, and now he finally had enough materials to attempt to make it!_

_“Sounds like you’re making good progress,” Morgana noted, grooming himself on the desk while Akira worked. The teen merely nodded in reply, the work engrossing him. He had been getting better and better at this whole crafting thing, and the more he did it, the easier it seemed to get. While it used to take him hours to make one measly lockpick, he could now crank out item after item without a problem._

_“This is it,” he declared proudly, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead and examining the object he had created, turning it over in his hands._

_“Alright,” Morgana hummed approvingly, giving his paw a farewell lick before sitting up to get a better look at whatever it was Akira had been working on for the past chunk of time. “Let’s see… w-whoa…” There, in Akira’s fingers, was a lockpick the likes of which he’d never seen. It looked indestructible, unyielding… just like the Joker who would inevitably use it many a time in the Metaverse. Morgana knew he picked the right guy to lead this team._

_“Well?” Akira asked, leaning back in his chair and stretching his arms above his head. “What do you think?”_

_“I think you just crafted a skeleton key,” Morgana answered. “Seriously. This thing can probably open any lock in the Metaverse.” He raised his hind paw to scratch at an itch behind his ear. “Well, any normal lock, anyway. A thing like that might have some application in the real world, too.”_

_“Great,” Akira replied with a yawn. “Now I won’t have to worry about locking myself out of the café.”_

_Morgana didn’t have to stifle a chuckle; that was the kind of response he’d become accustomed to from the Phantom Thieves’ de facto leader. “You must be tired,” he said with a smile. “Let’s go get some sleep.” Akira nodded, rising from his seat and heading toward the bed. “Um…” He turned around at Morgana’s sound. “I don’t think I’ve really said this, but… you’ve come a long way. I mean, the rate at which you can make stuff now, and the quality of your work… I’ve never seen anything like it. Even if I had my human form back, I bet you’d give me a run for my money,” he said with a bit of a dry laugh. “What I mean to say is… I’m proud of you, Akira.”_

_Akira smiled back at his friend. It was always high praise whenever the high and mighty feline decided to “bless” someone with a compliment; they were few and far between. “Thanks,” he said, sitting on his bed. Morgana hopped off the desk and padded over to him._

_“But don’t get too cocky!” He warned as he leapt up onto the bed and stretched beside him. Akira merely rolled his eyes, pulling the bed cover over himself. “We’ve got a lot of work tomorrow. I’m thinking we should go into the palace, unless you think we should use that time to take down those two targets in Mementos. Of course, you also…” Morgana trailed off as he realized Akira had fallen asleep while he was talking. “A-already? Wow. You really were tired.”_

_He looked around to make sure they were alone… before leaning forward and nuzzling his face gently against Akira’s. “You get your rest. You’re gonna need it,” he whispered before pulling away, quietly lying down to sleep in his usual, cozy spot next to his most impressive pupil._

\-----

“Dammit!” Ryuji shouted, slamming a fist into the wall of the restaurant.

When Haru and Makoto returned to the table with the terrible news, the Phantom Thieves quickly paid their bill and gathered at the backside of the sushi place. There was no entrance here, so they had their secrecy, as well as a bit of light from a few flickering lampposts.

“That son of a bitch!” The blond punk continued as everyone else remained silent, at a loss. “Who the hell does he think he is?!”

“I had a feeling something was… off…” Ann admitted, eyes cast downward. “But I never imagined it would be something like this.”

A small, empty laugh disturbed the melancholy of the group. They all turned toward Futaba, who was sitting under a lamppost with both her phone as well as Makoto’s.

“He didn’t even encrypt the file! Total weaksauce.” While she was talking with her typical jargon, it was clear she was still shaken from the events. She tried to ignore the lump in her throat each time she looked at the image. “The picture was taken before we’d sat down.”

“So he probably had captured Morgana well before then,” Yusuke deduced.

“There’s no way we could have known,” Ann said solemnly. “Even if we’d looked for him back at the station…” A wave of guilt passed over the Phantom Thieves. What if they had searched? Would it have made a difference?

“It’s all my fault…” Haru’s small voice trembled. “Mona-chan…”

“Hey! It is **not** your fault, alright?” Ryuji growled. “It’s all that bastard Sugimura’s—”

“I should have dealt with him long ago!” Haru shouted back, taking everyone by surprise. She was usually so soft-spoken! “But… I was too afraid. I didn’t want to face him on my own… but I didn’t want to drag all of you into this, either.”

“Haru…” Ann whispered.

“But now it doesn’t even matter,” Haru exhaled softly. “You’re all roped up in this again, and Mona-chan… we may never see him again…!”

“We will.” Akira’s voice was as strong and affirming as the hand he placed on Haru’s shoulder.

“Akira’s right,” Makoto said. “Things might look bad… but we can’t give up hope. We have to be strong.” She looked directly at Haru. “For both Mona and you.” Makoto looked over the group until her eyes settled on their redhead. “Wait, Futaba! Can you use your skills to find out where the picture was taken?”

“Way ahead of you.” She held up her own phone to show a normal navigation app, with a little blinking dot on the map of Tokyo. “This is where the phone’s signal was picked up after the picture was taken.”

They all crowded around the phone… and Ryuji was the first to voice his disapproval. “Damn. That’s way across Tokyo.”

“And the trains stop running in less than an hour,” Yusuke added, checking the time on his own phone. “We would have no way of getting back.”

“We should use tonight to form a plan,” Makoto decided. “Haru, you said Sugimura wanted to meet with you tomorrow morning, right?” Haru nodded. “Then we can split up into teams. Three of us can go with Haru to give her support against that rotten creep, while the others search out the location Futaba found.”

“I’ll go with Haru,” Akira quickly said. Makoto stood next to him, squeezing his hand with a forceful grip.

“I think it would be best if I joined you,” she said. “We’ll have to be careful around him. We don’t know what he might be planning. Futaba, would you mind rounding out our group?”

“You’ve got it. I accept this special quest!”

“Great. Ann, Yusuke, Ryuji…”

“Don’t worry!” Ryuji pointed a thumb at himself. “We’ll check out that place and find out where that creep’s hiding him!” Ann and Yusuke nodded in approval.

“Good,” Makoto said. It was always nice when a plan came together. “We… should go home for the night, then. Tomorrow’s gonna be a long day.”

It would be a struggle for the Phantom Thieves to get sound sleep that night.

\-----

The sound of his footsteps climbing up to the attic was lonelier than ever before. He thought back to the last time he had been here without Morgana: when the cat had run away. It had hit some of the Phantom Thieves harder than other, but for Akira… there was no way to describe the feeling other than alone.

He shook his head, trudging toward his bed, trying to dispel such uneasy thoughts. Morgana would want him to get some rest. No matter how hard it was to get, rest was important. Sharpening the saw, the cat liked to call it.

Akira allowed himself a weak smile. He closed his eyes as he lay atop his bed, willing himself to sleep, against the rocky journey toward sweet rest. A fleeting memory crossed his mind as he succumbed to fatigue.

\-----

_“Akira…! Akira, wake up!”_

_His eyes flew open, a shaky breath leaving the scruffy teenager’s chest. He looked down to see the small cat staring right back at him, a paw resting gently on the human’s arm… was that concern painted on his feline face? Akira wondered this in his post-nightmare haze. “You alright?” Morgana asked. “You were making all sorts of weird noises. It sounded like you were in pain.”_

_Akira let out a small sigh, still lying down. “I’m fine. Just a bad dream.” He would leave it at that. He had no reason to burden any of his friends with such trivial matters, anyway._

_“Oh,” Morgana replied, a little deflated._

_“Sorry if I woke you up.” Akira closed his eyes, trying to return to slumber, but something felt off. Like he was being watched, still. He opened an eye to see Morgana still staring at him._

_“Do… you wanna talk about it?” Morgana asked. Akira shook his head._

_“Mm-mm.”_

_“You sure?” Morgana didn’t know how to proceed. All he knew was that he wanted to help his friend. No; he **had** to help him. “…You know… dreams are the manifestation of our own thoughts, fears and desires, distorted through the complex workings of our brains. In a lot of ways, they’re no different than the shadows we fight in the Metaverse.”_

_“Is that so?” Akira asked with a dry tone. Morgana continued._

_“But there’s one big difference between the two.” He curled up on top of Akira’s chest and purred softly. “Dreams can’t hurt you.”_

_Akira stared down at the cat. It was true. Nothing in his dreams could hurt him physically. They were nothing to really worry about. Akira raised a hand up to Morgana’s soft back… and slowly pet him. A soothing calm washed over him. “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, but…” Morgana let out another small purr. “…I’ll always be here for you, Akira. Just don’t get too used to this, alright? I have to maintain my image, you know!”_

_Akira’s rest was peaceful that night._

\-----

Morgana’s eyes opened more slowly than before. It felt like the room was spinning, and his body was both on fire and dipped in ice, trembling relentlessly. He shakily tried to stand up. That effort lasted all of two seconds. He panted heavily, his breath still showing in a small wisp in front of him. He was freezing. And he could barely move.

It was then that a small glare in the corner of his vision caught his eye. Breathing heavily, he forced his head up to look at the curious thing… it was the security camera. It had a red light. It was on. It was recording.

It took several moments for Morgana to sort it out in his head. It hadn’t been recording earlier, had it? No, he distinctly remembered it had been off… so why would it be on now? Sugimura wouldn’t want to just watch him suffer… he could come down here himself and torture him some more if he wanted, Morgana realized with a shudder. Maybe he was showing off his latest exploit to someone—

Showing it to someone. Showing it to his friends. “G-guys…” He choked out with a cough. Shit. His throat felt like a million knives were scratching at it, and he could manage no more than a whisper. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a drink of water, let alone ate… how much longer could he go on like this?

He shook his head. Now was not the time to think about things like that. He needed to warn his friends, if they happened to be watching. It was a longshot… but it was the only shot he had. “Guys!” He squeaked out, trying to ignore the searing pain in his throat. “Don’t listen to him!”

He had to warn them. He had to keep them safe!


End file.
